Prisoner 518

Very much enjoying this game. It's a tad buggy but so far that hasn't deterred me from playing and enjoying myself. Graphics are pretty good. Game play has been exciting and thought provoking at times. Enjoying the story. Could use a little something more there but its satisfying enough. There is a lot more going for this game than I expected there would be. For the discount price I consider it a bargain.

I wanted to write a positive review for this game, being an indie project developed by a single person and all of that, but since I can't even finish the game due to its problems I really can't.

First, there is no official support for the Reverb G2. There's a user-made controller binding profile, but it is very glitchy (I dunno if it's the game's fault or not) since every now and then the control sticks just suddenly won't work and I had to go the bindings menu, deactivate the G2 bindings and then reactivate them to make them work again. And sometimes it happens every 5 minutes, or every time you die.

Second, there are bugs. Some innocent ones, some annoying. I spent 20 minuted trying to solve a puzzle, without knowing that one of my tools was bugged (its screen didn't turned on), which I found out only after reloading.

Third, in some points there's an ambitious climbing system, which is quite fun when it works but very annoying when it doesn't. I dropped the game at a long climbing session without checkpoints (or maybe the checkpoint was bugged since I'm pretty sure I saw "saving" at one point, but then every time I died I had to start from the beginning). I read in the forums that at the end I'm supposed to somehow physically swing myself when I'm hanging up from an handle over the void to reach a platform, but fuck me if I can do it. I died so many times without even knowing what I'm doing wrong and I had to do the whole climbing every time, which at one point started to be physically demanding.

So it's a shame, since the atmosphere is very good and I wanted to see where the game was going, and I can endure bugs, but being stuck in an infinite loop of vr climbing sessions because I don't know exactly what precise physical movement I have to do with my arms to clear a jump is too much for me. At least put a (working) checkpoint before it, the game is not a precision platform.

UPDATE: The last two patches have fixed all of the show-stopper bugs. I have replayed from the beginning, and gotten back to where I left off without falling through the map, losing appendages or vital equipment, getting stuck on/repelled by the environment, or simply being unable to see or interact with something.

There are still a lot of bugs in this game, but nothing that stops you from enjoying the story. The developer is engaged, and the price is alright.

BUTTONS! -- Fixed (mostly)

LADDERS! -- Fixed (at least, I haven't had any further problems)

MENUS! -- Fixed (at least, I haven't had any further problems)

CONSOLES! -- Fixed

LIGHTING! -- You may need to adjust the default brightness levels. Dropping contrast under 20% lets you see into the dark shadows.

I had a wonderful time playing this when the game worked. The dev, also, is very responsive to questions.

It is a good length and in many ways better than a AAA game. I enjoyed parts of this as much as I enjoyed HL: Alyx.

The bugs in this are HORRENDOUS though. The game is unplayable at times. Luckily dev has helped me out with saves and advice. Some of the game breaking bugs have been resolved by the dev sending me a new save file, and I've never had to wait longer than a few hours before I'm able to continue. Once more: were these bugs not resolved (I believe they will be - wait a couple of months from the date of this review); even were they not resolved, I would recommend this game. It is simply incredible.

What is here is beautiful, and amazing. This is exactly what VR needs. The length and amount of content is incredible too.

The controls are archaic which would be bearable if only there were more tweak options, but sadly there are not enough. Models are decent, animations are good, lighting and textures leave a lot to be desired. This seems like demo quality. Drop something and it's harder to pick it up from the floor than it needs to be. Tool belt is interesting but needs an overhaul and tweaks.

With all its faults I'm surprisingly captivated and will continue to the end.

I saw a lot of good reviews for this one so I bought it.
Let me first say I really like the general idea of the game. Seems like a good premise to built upon.
But there is still really a lot missing to make this a good game.

- The controls are just clunky, for instance the drill is not really snapping right to the screws.
- The hands don't have a 'grip state' which makes it hard to see if it even works, so with buttons I'm just not sure how to activate them quickly sometimes.
_ After climbing a ladder, I sometimes am just half the size I was.
- When I (accidentally) switch to the menu, I sometimes lose both my hands, and have to restart the level. This happened to me twice yesterday, and it's just annoying.

Then there's more picky stuff I noticed, like not being able to walk faster for instance. At some point a german translation popped up at one of the screens in one of the messages, while I was playing the english version, which was amusing, but probably a bug. , And then it's really really dark, most of the time. If you have played any other recent VR games, you might get a bit spoiled maybe, but I think this needs some more patches to make it a good game. It surely has potential.

I played on Rift through linkcable.

A solid adventure/puzzler with some greatly detailed rooms. Highly linear, which keeps you from getting lost and wandering down corridors unnecessarily. Puzzles are generally not as challenging as most escape room games, get it for the adventure, not tough brainteasers. A little scary sometimes, like 3 out of 10, no jump scares through. Smooth locomotion is selectable between HMD-relative or controller-relative.

Really pleasantly surprised by this game. Developed by a single developer, and his first game at that, this is a really well crafted game.

Set on a remote prison station in orbit around a planet it's essentially a Sci-Fi based escape game with a horror/mystery background. The story telling is really well executed and unfolds as you progress through the game. The music, sound effects and voice overs are all top quality and the exploration is mixed with puzzles which are always logical although not always obvious, so a little thought, careful observation and lateral thinking required in places.

The graphics, whilst basic, suit the game well and the dark foreboding atmosphere and stunning sound track emphasise the feeling of desertion, loneliness and potential threat. The game is very well paced and always managed to maintain my interest and desire to know more right up to the end. I am left wanting more!

I did encounter a few bugs which were quickly resolved by the developer who was highly receptive and helpful.

Definitely recommended and the VR game I've enjoyed most in this genre since The Solus Project.

An interesting escape "room" game. A few tweaks here and there and it will be as close to being a perfect game. Very suspenseful. Great atmosphere.

It was fun. It has a few graphic glitches but I find most VR games have a glitch here and there.

bit casual, bit puzzly, bit adventure, bit fun, dat music, dat tension, dat story, dah end.


verdict - bacon roll with a dash of mustard

Pretty cool game. wasn't so sure at first but it kinda grabbed me and I kept on. The game keeps on building and building up which i think is what kept me going wanting to know what was next.

The music and atmosphere is great - all the sound really.

Puzzles shan't break your brain and are logical.

The story keeps progressing from when you start as just a prisoner and by the end it's so far removed to how you started... So yeah.

Worth a pop.

Bit of a slow burner this one. Not really scary either, it's more an adventure puzzler - but the atmosphere is really good.

Looks good if not simple (maybe not everyone's taste) and it definitely sounds good! Well, it does create tension, but not enough that you'll be running around screaming like a little girl.

So, it's all about the story, right?

Well, it's definitely more story than action as there's no shooting or anything... Thinking back, actually the more I think about it, this game is actually put together pretty good. If you imagine the old classics like HL or Bioshock and take away the shooting and up the puzzles and story then you'd probably have a good idea of how it plays.

Spoiler alert maybe: You play a prisoner and start in your cell, some big ass explosion happens, you can leave your cell, no one can be found it seems. You don't really know what you're doing at first and just explore and work out how to progress and then you meet some dude (that you never see), but it gives you objectives and from there you start learning stuff, etc, etc, story unfolds, blah, blah.

There's ooohs, there's aaahs, there's wtfs. I enjoyed it.

What's bad though, I hear you ask?!

I played on a rift, I didn't have any problems with that. But, the options in the game are really limited. Like, it's only smooth locomotion, no teleport, no dash. And no option to set standing/seating. I played standing mostly, but sometimes i sat and leaned back on the chair like a lazy b'stard - and that made using the inventory belt a bit of a pain sometimes.

Had one or two bugs, but reloading a checkpoint solved that.

I guess this is a nit-pick, but the graphics can seem a bit basic at times. Don't get me wrong, it's consistent and sometimes it's really effective, but sometimes you may think it's a bit bland - no HLA here bois!

In conclusion then:

This is one of those games you pull the trigger on, not knowing anything about it and going in with meh expectations and being surprised that you found a bit of a gold nugget with this one. Yeah, it starts a bit slow, but looking back after you complete it, you realise it was quite the journey.

Definitely worth a try and definitely worth picking up in sale if you're unsure.

Overall, a fantastic game/story. Play time for me was 14.5 hours.

When I purchased this game I was expecting an average VR game…boy, was I wrong. This Developer (by the way, it is a one person team) is very creative and has developed a game that is fun, has a great story, and is well worth the price. The audio and music is exceptional throughout the entire game. Some comedy, some scares, some surprises, fun puzzles, and tension as you proceed through the prison complex. Without spoilers I have to say the ending was excellent; and I can't wait for more.

This game flows very well (although it is dark), graphics are good and it's hard to describe the feeling of just fumbling through a very large corporate prison facility and moving through hallways, etc to look for objects, etc. There is a lot of interface with computers, etc that make this game fun.

I've always enjoyed games like this that really immerse one into the story, but I enjoyed this game more than most other VR games …it's really hard to explain why. But trust me if you like games with a developing story, puzzles, tensions, exhilaration, you will enjoy this game as I did.

Game play is incredibly fun and, in all honesty, frustrating at times as you attempt to figure out the puzzle. Puzzles are interesting; not so difficult that you have to check a walkthrough to solve them, but they're not total 'gimme's either. Most of them play off the same few mechanical tricks, but in interesting ways that require you to stop and think about what you're trying to accomplish. I did not like the Vive controls for climbing as it takes some getting used to. But for the most part controls worked well and feel natural.

A great game…strongly recommend this game.

Note—this Dev is very responsive and answers all questions/issues in a timely manner.

just trash. not worth the money.
controls are garbage, directional controls for walking are just... disgusting. they do not change with movement, and when not using the hmd direction you entire sense of direction is just skewed, having to push the stick in all sorts of directions to move forward.
often times while using ladders i am stuck at half height, and stuck in the floor section somewhere.

but overall, ITS SO MF DARK I CANT SEE ANYTHING. brightness up on everything, but the game has no slider for it, so im sitting here like a damn moth running from light source to light source.

hands are basically statues. dont even react to grip. physics are terrible.

not a good game. not worth the time or money.

Breaking Out of the Joint.....In space (Spoiler-Free)

Prisoner 518 is an adventure-themed game, with some puzzle elements, in an unfolding story of a prisoner in space where everyone has mysteriously vanished.
This game is entirely done from a 1st-person perspective, with no shooting involved, and only slightly more enemies, but lots of hurdles to overcome.
This was played on a i7-8700, 16GB RAM, GTX 1070Ti.

Point: The graphics were simple and effective, conveying the story without ever having a problem of knowing what I was looking at. The graphics effectively conveya consistant mood and atmosphere consistant with the story.
Counterpoint: Anybody looking for Half Life: Alyx graphics should stay away. Some may think the graphics may be too simplistic.

Point: The music in this game is incredible. It matches, and at times,surpasses the effectiveness of the graphics in setting mood and atmosphere, and excels in setting the tension.
Counterpoint: Without the music, the game would have been less exciting (not much of a counterpoint, I know).

Point: The game is largely done in a hallway-type layout.
Counterpoint: Given the perceived cylindrical shape of the station, this conflict of geometry often let me confused as to where I was in the station (aside from the occassionals window present in certain areas of the station). I knew I was on the station, but I felt I rarely knew where.
Having placards on the wall that show where you are within the station would've helped me with a better presence of location on the station. A map screen that could be brought up on computer monitors could be another alternative.

Point: You are apparently the only person on the entire station.
Counterpoint: Throughout the game, I felt it never explained what happened to the staff and other prisoners on the station. I can guess the 'thing' at the end of the game had something to do with it, but it's only a guess (this is a tricky part in how much do you explain versus giving the audience just enough info to have fun in coming up with their own conclusion). Having a more messy, 'lived-in' look on the station would've given a pretense that other folks were living there.

Point: The use of lighting is effective is creating a sense of loniness and dread.
Counterpoint: At certain parts of the game, I certainly was wishing for more light (or maybe a flashlight), as sometimes it was difficult to see what needed to be done. Eventually, I learned to accept it for what it was (realistic environments were the ambient lighting is poor, and you have no flashlight).

Point: There are lots of events to get through, and some of the solutions (for myself) were so 'right in your face', I could not find them.
Counterpoint: Some of these events seemed to occur whether or not you did something. So when the event occurred, and you had not done anything yet, your progress could actually stop because you were not at a certain place at a certain time. For example, at one point you are being chased by something mysterious down a hallway. If you were not in the hallway, the mysterious thing would be chasing nothing down the hall, while I am at the back of the roon, asking myself what is going on.
So the game assumed I was going to be in the hallway, without making sure I was in the hallway.

Counterpoint (no Point here): Certain parts of the game just did not seem to work, but if you reloaded the last checkpoint, that part now seemed to work ( a door that was closed all the way is now partially opened, allowing you to duck underneath.
The real downside to this is that it makes you think the game is broken at times.
An upside to it is that it's easily correctible by reloading the last checkpoint. A very weird, but intersting 'bug'.

When it is all said and done, despite the flaws identified above, I did enjoy my time with the game. The game has more positives than negatives for me, but most importantly is that there are core elements here than can really shine, should the developer make another game.
To make a commercial-based comparison, in some aspects of this game, I saw an early alpha version of Alien: Isolation (which you can play in VR: highly recommended). I hope the developer can make some improvements to the game, so that others will not have to face some issues I experienced.

On the basis on what I feel this game could achieve, I give it a 'Thumbs Up'.

I'm not going to leave a negative recommendation as the game has potential and I might rebuy it later on down the line as I think these issues will probably get ironed out, my experiance was Janky controls, (No knuckle support) poor lighting design that made it way too dark in some areas and coupled with bright lighting game me to some serious godray trauma (but this might have something to do with having a Gen 1 Vive still, Newer headsets might fair better)

That being said the story, sound design and voice acting are generally good and I do recommend picking it up to see whether it works for you.

let me just say that this game was absolutely nothing that i expected when buying this game, i thought it was going to be a short little horror experience that is usually on the steam marketplace, but this is a true phycological horror game that makes you really get in to the space of a lone survivor on a space station with in depth puzzles that are tricky at times but defiantly possible and though there where a few bugs none of them where game braking and the ending of the game was absolutely amazing

Fell through the floor and had to exit the game to get out. Index controllers work but have no real support in that you can't make a fist or a peace sign, no finger tracking. Despite the faults in the first 45 minutes of the game, I'm still going to recommend it because I like the premise/story and atmosphere. I want to continue to explore the station and solve the mysteries...

Super interesting premise and great overall execution! If you like narrative-centric virtual reality experiences, you've definitely got to try this.